Rêverie, by Claude Debussy A soft glow casts upon the field's grass, still fresh from the early morning dew. Faint whistles can be heard through the trees, the notes weaving into a melody of harmonious birds. The ripples of the water are carried into the stream, along the smooth rocks polished with time.
The flowers sigh to the sweetness of its own aroma.
A lone cloud travels across the sky, pacing infinitely.
The day becomes alive,
and everywhere is the reflection of its beginning.
Side note:20TH PIECE!! YAY!! Ok, now on to the important stuff...
I'll admit it, I didn't even think about what this week's Classical Piece would be until pretty recently. But I had just thought of one of those tunes that stays tied with my mind, and decided to go with the piece that features it. It's called Greensleeves, and it was composed during the Renaissance Era, which thus explains why the original composer remains unknown.
Technically, Greensleeves is an English Folk song, but if you've followed my CPW since the beginning, you would know that I tend to like different versions of the piece/song. There is one belief that claims that this song was composed by Henry VIII for his lover and future wife Anne Boleyn. Such beliefs are vastly improbable, but it's always great to have different perspectives. If you would like to know more about the story of this song, click here.
Classical Piece of the Week is back! And dare I say better than ever, because you guys are in for a real treat this week. This morning I was fumbling around Youtube, trying to find a CPW. I already had a couple of pieces in mind, but once I re-listened to them, I realized I wasn't really that passionate about them. And then I happened to come across Hungarian Dance No.7 by Johannes Brahms, and I knew I had met my match.
This piece was originally composed for piano, but I find that the violin version gives out a crisp, more vibrant sound. Specifically Jascha Heiftz's version. This work of music is quite short, but I don't think it would be better any other way, because the shortness fits the mood of the music.
Sometimes, a piano and an open soul is all you need to express all the emotions a human can feel. Nocturne Op. 9 No.2 by Frédéric Chopin is a lovely piece that really does bring that essence to reality.
It may sound like an easy piece to play, but this Nocturne requires a balance in technique, but also in the spirit within yourself. You really do have to feel at peace, or something like that, to truly bring out the beautiful music that resides within this piece.
I'm not a big movie watcher. But I cannot resist a movie with a great soundtrack. In fact, I think the soundtrack is a big deciding factor on whether or not I liked a movie.
The movie Spirited Away has an amazing soundtrack. This film is about a 10 year-old girl named Chihiro who is trapped in this alternate universe that is full of spirits and alikes, after her parents ate forbidden food and turned into pigs. Honestly, this movie is absolutely spectacular, and so is the soundtrack. But there is this one piece that I find just a little more special than all the others. One Summer's Day, by Joe Hisaishi. It is, to say the least, brilliant.
Saturday night, I went to the Igudesman and Joo: Big Nightmare Music concert. I went into the concert hall with a hint of excitement and a bit of a headache (which is pretty normal for me) and came out with a goofy, full-teeth grin and sparkling eyes (in a figurative sense...) that read: That. Was. The. Best. Concert. Ever.
Okay, a little backtrack: If you don't know who Igudesman and Joo are, feel free to click on this link. So basically they are two musicians, Aleskey Igudesman and Hyung-ki Joo, who play some fantastic music whilst adding a lot of awesome humor to their performances.
During the concert, Igudesman and Joo played with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. I thought that was fantastic because it just added another layer of sheer musicality and awesomeness. I do not remember the entire order of all their performances, but what I do remember from that night was this:
There are moments when you praise the Lord for inventing the violin. For inventing such a beautiful instrument that emits such a beautiful sound. The playing of Légende, op. 17 by Henryk Wieniawski is one of those moments.
I was surfing the web, in search of classical pieces, when I stumbled onto a website that featured this piece on its Top 10 Classical Pieces list. Needless to say, I fell in love. Entitled Gymnopédie No.1, this piano work is composed by Erik Satie, and is the first out of three "gymnopédies" written by Satie.
Well, I've got to admit it: I've lost my inspiration this week. Not one piece has really caught my attention in the past 7 days, and I've been only listening to my old Classical Pieces of the Week ^_^ But I am lovin' one of the pieces I'm playing on the piano right now, so I decided to choose it. It's called Waltz in A Minor by Frederic Chopin. Usually, Chopin's song are pretty hard, but I'm glad he did compose easier ones, for people that are not as advanced like me. ;)
So this week's Classical Piece of the Week will be quite different, namely, I have not chosen a piece, instead, I have chosen a music group. This music group is called Igudesman and Joo, and includes Aleksey Igudesman, a violinist, and Hyung-ki Joo, a pianist. I discovered this group thanks to my Youth Orchestra, as we will be going to one of their concerts in November.
Honestly, gymnastic video montages have just the best music ever. And this Classical Piece of the Week is no exception. If you watched the video in my Old-School Gymnastics post, you know what I'm talking about, and if not, well, that's why I'm here to introduce it to you guys. The piece is called Morning Passages by Phillip Glass, and it's featured in the 2002 movie, The Hour.
Originally, in the film score, it's kind of like chamber music, with the piano playing the main melody, and other instruments coming in on different moments. But I like the solo piano version better, because I think it has more depth and emotions to it. The theme of this song is quite melancholic, with hints of softness and unique chords.
So, if you have read this post I wrote a while back, you know that I am literally addicted to old-school gymnastics. So, while on Youtube, I stumbled upon this video called: "The Tragedies of Gymnastics- Solo Piano (Raul Di Blasio)" and I fell in love with the music. It fit the video perfectly, and it was utterly perfect. So, if you haven't guessed yet, my classical piece for this week is Solo Piano by Raul Di Blasio. Style wise, it is more towards contemporary music, but I think it fits wonderfully in the category of Classical Music.
For my 2nd Classical Piece of the Week, I wanted to choose something more strong and dramatic then my first. So, without hesitation, I knew Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 would be the perfect match. This piece is composed by Franz Liszt, a brilliant composer and a virtuoso on the piano. He also invented the symphonic poem, which is such a coincidence, because my first Classical Piece of the Week is a symphonic poem, hehe.
Hungarian Rhapsody is a solo piano work, but there is also an orchestral version. It demands a lot of exceptional skills in the piano, and it's really fun to listen to. It starts of very dramatic, with strong chords. Then it goes into a more calm and soft mood, with returns of the beginning melody. After, the music is very playful, almost a little quirky. And the ending is absolutely genius, very creative; it's really something you probably won't expect. The first time I heard this piece, I found it a little weird, but it slowly grew on me, and now it's definitely one of my favorite pieces. Below is a piano version and orchestral version of the work. I personally prefer the orchestral version a little more, because I find it much more epic. I hope you enjoy listening to this fantastic music! (And for fun, check out this link and this one, it's cartoon version performances. They're really, really hilarious!)
